The 20th-Century Architecture of Eero Saarinen

In America's postwar years, architects and builders were redefining modernism, taking advantage of new construction techniques and materials to create a visual language for the 20th century. Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen was amazingly prolific and successful throughout this era, designing projects large and small, from the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and the TWA Flight Center at New York's JFK Airport to community churches and individual homes. Photographer Balthazar Korab worked for Saarinen, skillfully capturing the nuances, shapes, and lines of his structures and documenting the creative process involved. In the process, he earned a reputation as a well-respected architectural photographer. Korab, who passed away earlier this year, graciously donated nearly 800 of these photographs to the Library of Congress in 2007.

Architectural detail of the interior of the Trans World Airlines Terminal, John F. Kennedy Airport, New York, circa 1962. The expansive, futuristic terminal building, designed by architect Eero Saarinen, opened in 1962, described as a "Grand Central of the jet age."#

Mobile lounges, or Passenger Transfer Vehicle (PTVs) parked at Washington Dulles International Airport, in 1963. The PTVs could carry 100 passengers and had ramps at one end that could be raised or lowered to the floor height of an aircraft. The PTV concept, a pre-cursor to jet bridges, was championed by architect Eero Saarinen, and originally featured prominently in the flow of traffic at Dulles.#